Flash: Some Usability Tips
Flash sites have literally taken over the web. Every site that you go to is full of flash menus, flash buttons, flash animations and other content that is based on flash. The reason is not far to see.
Flash is a great tool for the creation of web content that not only looks good, but is interactive as well. Given below are few flash tips for users, who do not want any usability issues.
Allow deep bookmarks
If you want to return to a site, then bookmarks are the best way to do so. Shared bookmarks are also increasingly becoming popular, and help in driving loads of traffic to a particular site.
HTML pages are marked by bookmarks, and therefore most flash site builders integrate deep content bookmarks along with their flash site.
Initiate the working of the back button and page reload button
A page reload button and a back button are a staple of any web page. Web surfers use them often and they are tools that are an integral part of every web browser. It is important that the flash animation or content used on a site is configured to work with these buttons. If not, then when these buttons are clicked, the animation movie will start all over again.
This is irritating and frustrating for those browsing through the site. Hence, you must initialize the working of these buttons in accordance with the requirements of the browser.
Avoid or minimize the prospect of transition repetitiveness and forced waits
Attractive transitions and animations are the forte of Flash. If people want to make their sites look extremely stylish then they use Flash. Though, it has great visual appeal, this attraction is soon lost, when people have to wait too long for a page to load.
There are also times when you want to open the site repetitively and you have to endure the flash animation. To avoid such annoyances, give people the choice of going directly to the index page or for using an HTML version of the site.
Create non-standard widgets with due care
Control widget for web pages can best be created by the use of Flash. These flash widgets are used to create features like checkboxes, drop-down menus etc. While creating non-standard widgets, you must take care to make them easily understandable for the users.
Most web surfers are comfortable with the standard widgets, so they might take a while to figure out the slicker looking versions of the standard buttons. Moreover, they might not even notice a heavily stylized version of a drop-down menu or a navigation bar.
Search engine friendly flash content
Flash movies go a long way in improving the content presentation of a particular site. It’s interactive, unique, and visually appealing, however, you need to create alternative non-flash versions, and use it for getting a search engine friendly listing.
Keep these flash usability tips in mind, and see your flash sites become even more efficient and appealing.
